Bang & Olufsen brings ultimate craft to the limited-edition Beolab 90 Monarch and Zenith

Bang & Olufsen has gone all out with the newest editions of its flagship Beolab 90 speaker. This titanic piece of audio equipment sits at the top of an impressive product roster, with a pair starting from €167,200. Yet, above the ‘regular’ edition are those offered through B&O’s Atelier customisation programme; higher still is B&O’s five-part Atelier centenary series, a collection of five editions that have doubled down on craft, design and materials.

We’ve already explored the Beolab 90 Titan Edition but there have also been Shadow and Mirage Editions of the 90s, as well as a speaker created in collaboration with Berluti. Now Bang & Olufsen has launched the final two in the series, the Beolab 90 Monarch Edition and Beolab 90 Zenith Edition.

The Zenith Edition is perhaps the most theatrical, with its six triangular panels each containing no less than 289 anodised aluminium spheres in seven different finishes. The overall effect is of a shimmering collection of surfaces, enhanced with a pearl-blasted aluminium fascia and mother-of-pearl inlays on the top of the speaker.

In contrast, the Beolab 90 Monarch Edition is more of an obvious homage to B&O's midcentury influences and origins. Working closely with a long-standing Danish supplier of woods, the Monarch Edition features angled rosewood lamellas and aluminium components.

The former have been hand-carved and angled to follow the many twists and turns of the cabinet, culminating in a solid rosewood top ring. The aluminium is given an ochre-coloured finish to align with the natural wood.

Wallpaper* spoke to Kresten Bjørn Krab-Bjerre, senior director of design at Bang & Olufsen, about the challenges of ultra-high-end hi-fi, and how the company’s industrial design is shaped and guided to facilitate these collaborations.

Wallpaper*: To what extent was the Beolab 90 originally designed to act as a showcase for different material and craft approaches? Was it always the intention or has it evolved?

Kresten Bjørn Krab-Bjerre: Most of our products are designed to meet specific lifecycle management requirements. This is particularly important for our Beolab-speaker portfolio, as these products remain on the market for up to ten years, or often longer in the case of Beolab 90. To support this longevity, we developed a modular system that is applied across a wide range of products.

When designing speakers – including Beolab 90 – we do not define every future expression from the outset. Instead, we establish a strong architectural and acoustic foundation, with modularity and upgradability built in as a deliberate enabler. This design approach allows the product to evolve over time – opening up for new material interpretations and craft expressions – while remaining anchored in its original design and performance intent.

W*: How were the design partners chosen for these material experiments?

KBK-B: All Beolab 90 Editions are conceived and developed by our in-house design team. Crafting these pieces requires a very close collaboration between design and engineering, where we continuously balance performance with form. For each edition, almost every element is reconsidered in terms of geometry, materiality, and assembly.

This means every part goes through an iterative process of testing and refinement to ensure it meets the strict technical requirements of Beolab 90 – and our speakers in general. Having all disciplines under one roof allows us to fully engage with that complexity, so we can explore new material directions while ensuring they are seamlessly integrated into our product’s acoustic performance and overall integrity.

W*: What were the acoustic challenges with the Zenith materials?

KBK-B: The Beolab 90 Zenith truly pushed the boundaries. We had no recipe for turning a 2D pattern into a 3D execution and therewith no established principle for the aluminum sphere panel. It's something we had never done before, and that was certainly challenging, but even more so, really exciting.

To integrate these panels, we first developed a wide range of parametric patterns and tested different sphere diameters to find the right balance between acoustic transparency and a strong visual expression. Once we were satisfied with the design, the challenge shifted to realizing in a robust and reliable way that would still guarantee the flawless sound that Bang & Olufsen stands for. That led us to develop a special mounting method that eliminates any risk of unwanted noise, what we call rub and buzz, while still supporting the complexity of the design.

From an acoustic perspective, the final – and perhaps biggest – challenge was mounting these sculptural panels in front of the woofers. Lower frequencies are less affected by what sits in front of the driver, but they move a significant volume of air during playback, so the spheres have to sit extremely firmly to avoid influencing audio quality.

That meant ensuring every single sphere stayed completely stable under those conditions while also keeping the system practical to assemble. After many iterations, we ended up with a very time-consuming manual mounting process that takes one of our technicians an entire week to assemble all six covers, but it provides the stability we need without compromising performance.

So, in the end, the most demanding part of the process was finding the right balance between long-term stability, acoustic performance, and the original design intent. But we’re happy to say we achieved exactly that. And this is perfectly aligned with our core values at Bang & Olufsen of thinking differently and constantly finding new ways to push boundaries.

W*: How long has B&O worked with the wood company? Is this the most wood ever used in a B&O product?

KBK-B: Since 1949, Bang & Olufsen has worked with the same Danish wood supplier for the Beolab 90 Monarch, reflecting a decades-long relationship built on trust and shared expertise. Their expertise played a key role in achieving the distinctive look we envisioned for the Monarch Edition.

We selected an exclusive Rosewood Palisander for its deep colour and striking grain pattern, and to further showcase the richness of the material, we increased the size of the lamellas. That allowed the wood’s natural character to take on a more prominent and expressive role in the design, while also giving the speaker a stronger sense of solidity and a subtle nod to classic Danish furniture traditions.

Achieving this vision requires a high level of craftsmanship. Each lamella has its own unique geometry and producing them is remarkably complex because of the interplay between curves and angles. But that complexity is exactly what makes them so beautiful. When all the pieces are finally assembled, they form a seamless, wavelike surface that wraps around the speaker in a full 360 degrees.

I’m not sure if it’s the most wood ever used in a B&O product, but to me, it is undoubtedly our most exquisite creation – where exceptional craftsmanship and beautiful sound are harmoniously unified.

W* How important do you feel these material experiments are to B&O’s image? Are Atelier customers helping push the boundaries of the company’s design ethos?

KBK-B: Definitely. Our company has been guided for a century by our founder’s ethos from 1925: ‘a never failing will to create only the best and persistently to find new ways’. Atelier Editions gives this spirit form – driven by curiosity, embracing new materials, and a century of pushing boundaries with artistry.

Many of the inspiring ideas that circulate in Bang & Olufsen – ideas that would be difficult to realise in a traditional production series product – can find a home in Atelier Editions. It is a space where those concepts can become limited masterpieces for our most discerning clients and Bang & Olufsen enthusiasts around the world.

Beolab 90 Monarch Edition/Beolab 90 Zenith Edition: Pricing on request, starting at €480,000, £410,000, 454,200 CHF, Bang-Olufsen.com, @bangolufsen